The classic work that shaped the thought of a generation with its powerful insights into the true nature of mind and reality.
• Defines culture as a “cosmic egg” structured by the mind’s drive for logical ordering of its universe.
• Provides techniques allowing individuals to break through the vicious circle of logic-based systems to attain expanded ways of creative living and learning.
The sum total of our notions of what the world is–and what we perceive its full potential to be–form a shell of rational thought in which we reside. This logical universe creates a vicious circle of reasoning that robs our minds of power and prevents us from reaching our true potential. To step beyond that circle requires a centering and focus that today’s society assaults on every level. Through the insights of Teilhard, Tillich, Jung, Jesus, Carlos Castaneda, and others, Joseph Chilton Pearce provides a mode of thinking through which imagination can escape the mundane shell of current construct reality and leap into a new phase of human evolution.
This enormously popular New Age classic is finally available again to challenge the assumptions of a new generation of readers and help them develop their potential through new creative modes of thinking. With a masterful synthesis of recent discoveries in physics, biology, and psychology, Pearce reveals the extraordinary relationship of mind and reality and nature’s blueprint for a self-transcending humanity.
For nearly half a century Joseph C. Pearce, who prefers to be known simply as Joe, has been probing the mysteries of the human mind. One of his overriding passions remains the study of what he calls the “unfolding” of intelligence in children. He is a self-avowed iconoclast, unafraid to speak out against the myriad ways in which contemporary American culture fails to nurture the intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs and yearnings of our young people. Part scholar, part scientist, part mystic, part itinerant teacher, Joe keeps in close touch with the most brilliant men and women in each field of inure relevant to his guest. He creates a unique synthesis of their work and translates the results into a common language-such a valuable contribution in these days of increasing scientific specialization.
The New Moon in Aquarius connects us with a sense of fairness, especially at the individual level. We tend to want the same deal for everyone, no matter what their starting point. This can seem entirely reasonable, yet life is not always fair, and we may have to work very hard to get anywhere near the equitable arrangement sought.
This is not to say that any such option is impossible, or that the effort would not be ultimately worthwhile. However, there are occasions when it makes sense to acknowledge that the balance is tipped against us, and consider if there is not some more suitable way forward.
Such an indication comes through the Moon’s square to Uranus, which seems to be pointing towards the path less traveled. In other words, any kind of sensible or typically “obvious” solution could be far from our sights — and we will do better to see things through an alternative lens and consider saying yes to novel options.
This can simply come down to doing the exact opposite of what our usual instincts want to tell us! It may seem utterly counterintuitive, and yet could deliver a better result, because with Uranus involved we can seldom predict the outcome. This may be partly due to treading new territory, or being involved in an innovative scheme where there truly is no precedent. It might require a leap of faith, but one that delivers something solid, given Uranus is located in Taurus.
Uranus is extra-pronounced here because it happens to disposit the New Moon, as well as squaring both the Sun and Moon. But it does not do so alone. Saturn is its dispositing sidekick and sits in a friendly stance towards bountiful Jupiter, by sextile. Through Saturn, we appear to have a more straightforward opportunity for progress, or at least one that feels familiar and follows some logical rules.
Saturn is the planetary master when it comes to boundary-setting. And although, being situated in Pisces, it has the potential to be a bit more bendy than usual, it can also work hard to shore up resources and help us hold onto something stable. This might not be huge, but it could nonetheless present enough value or surety to seem like a good bet.
Saturn in Pisces conjures images such as walking along a seashore, spotting the perfect pebble or shell, and possibly even feeling it is reasonable to keep a few to use in special ways. Whether this is a real event or a metaphor, there is value in examining a plethora of options within a setting where definition is hard to determine. We need to make choices while seeking simplicity and clarity, yet ensuring we don’t take or hold onto too much.
It is likely that Saturn requires hard work from us, alongside a degree of restraint. It could help if we’re operating from a compassionate, or at least generous, angle: for instance, decluttering our possessions at home, whilst knowing we can donate those items so that others can benefit. This type of focus can also make it easier to dispel any guilt based on having made purchases that now seem like mistakes.
Despite the blurring of lines that might be attributed to Saturn in Pisces, this is a zodiac sign also associated with polarities. We can see this in Piscean symbolism, where the two fish swim in opposite directions. Rather like with yin and yang, we witness a kind of paradox. In accumulating too much, we may imagine we are foolish, disorganized, or greedy. But being able to share the excess freely with others, we manage to make sensible choices, create greater order, and exhibit magnanimity. There will likely be other, similar opportunities to turn things around.
This article is from the Mountain Astrologer by Diana McMahon Collis
The Empress is numbered three and symbolises one half of a perfect polarity – the Emperor being the other side of the balance. From the purity of the High Priestess we move naturally onwards to the Empress’ sense of bounty and fertility. She represents the Mother Goddess, fulfilling her part in the eternal cycle of creation.The Empress holds the power to steadily and determinedly rebuild, renew, nurture and nourish. She has an unquenchable and generous courage, responding instantly when she sees a need to defend. Her realm is built of love, fertility and warmth. When the Empress holds us we are once again in the sure safety of the infant at its mother’s breast.She also represents unconditional love – making no demands and setting no conditions. If we allow her love to flow through us then we too can become a pure spring through which the Universe flows. Only our fears stand between us and the Goddess.
Translation is a 5-step process of “straight thinking in the abstract.” The first step is an ontological statement of being beginning with the syllogism: “Truth is that which is so. That which is not truth is not so. Therefore Truth is all there is.” The second step is the sense testimony (what the senses tell us about anything). The third step is the argument between the absolute abstract nature of truth from the first step and the relative specific truth of experience from the second step. The fourth step is filtering out the conclusions you have arrived at in the third step. The fifth step is your overall conclusion.
The claims in a Translation may seem outrageous, but they are always (or should always) be based on self-evident syllogistic reasoning. Here is one Translation from this week.
1) Truth is that which is so. That which is not truth is not so. Therefore truth is all that is. Truth being all is therefore total, therefore whole, therefore complete, therefore full, therefore fulfilling, therefore rewarding, therefore rewarded. I think, therefore I am. Since I am and since Truth is all that is, therefore I, being, am Truth. Since I, being, am Truth, therefore I, being, have all the attributes of truth: Therefore I, being, am total, whole, complete, full, fulfilling, rewarding, rewarded. Since I, being, am Truth and since I am mind, therefore Truth is Mind (Consciousness)
2) Mind is the cause of sin, disease and death.
Word-tracking: mind: capacity to think, to thank, idea, identity, image, construct, belief cause: to make happen sin: missing the mark disease: lack of ease ease: comfort, elbow-room, easement, lack of difficulties, i.e., other people death: ending, finite, limit
3) Truth being all and there being no limit to all, therefore Truth is limitless, infinite. Truth being infinite cannot at the same time die or come to an end. Therefore Truth is life eternal. Truth being one, there are no “other people,” therefore Truth is easy. Truth being all that is and to sin meaning the miss the mark, Truth can’t miss the mark. Therefore Truth is always on target OR Truth is always a “bull’s eye.” Cause being that which makes things happen or which makes things be, and Truth being all that is, therefore Truth is the only Cause. Truth being Mind and mind being the ability to form ideas, Mind cannot form ideas or beliefs or constructs which are finite or less than Truthful, therefore the beliefs of Mind are always infinite and Truthful (or Mindful), i.e., whole, complete, full, fulfilled, rewarding, rewarded.
4) Truth is limitless, infinite. Truth is life eternal. Truth is easy. Truth is always on target OR Truth is always a “bull’s eye.” Truth is the only Cause. The beliefs of Mind are always infinite and Truthful (or Mindful), i.e., whole, complete, full, fulfilled, rewarding, rewarded. 5) The beliefs of Mind are effortless, infinite, Truthful (Mindful) and eternal.
FILE – In this photo released by police, three of the four hostages and bank robber Clark Olofsson, standing right, are seen in a bank in Stockholm, Sweden, Aug. 27, 1973, shortly before the gunmen were overwhelmed by police. This week marks 50 years since a failed bank robbery that gave rise to the Stockholm syndrome, a term used in psychology to describe the bond that victims of kidnappings or hostage situations sometimes develop with their captors. (AP Photo, File)
BY KARL RITTER AND JAN M. OLSEN
Updated August 25, 2023 (APNews.com)
STOCKHOLM (AP) — It’s a common term these days, deployed to describe the bond that victims of kidnappings or hostage situations sometimes develop with their captors: “Stockholm syndrome.” And it got its name 50 years ago this week, during a failed bank robbery in Sweden’s capital.
The Stockholm syndrome — initially dubbed “Norrmalmstorg syndrome,” after the square where the bank heist took place — has since been used in connection with hostage-takings around the world, including the kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst in the 1970s.
Here’s a look at Stockholm syndrome and how it got its name.
WHAT IS STOCKHOLM SYNDROME?
It refers to the bond that can develop between hostages and their captors in hostage-taking and kidnapping situations. In some cases, hostages may develop sympathies for their captors and their cause — and even turn against the police. Rather than a diagnosis of a disorder, experts describe it as a psychological coping mechanism used by some hostages to endure being held captive and abused.
HOW DID IT GET ITS NAME?
The term can be traced back to Swedish criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot, who advised police in a standoff during a bank robbery in the Swedish capital in August 1973. During the standoff, some of the hostages appeared to side with the hostage-takers and against the police, a phenomenon Bejerot called “Norrmalmstorg syndrome.” Internationally, it became known as Stockholm syndrome.
Bejerot’s daughter, Susanne says her father, who died in 1988, never thought the term would gain such traction worldwide. “He didn’t understand that it would become such a big thing,” she said Wednesday.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THAT BANK ROBBERY?
On Aug. 23, 1973, convicted thief Jan-Erik Olsson, 32, tried to rob a bank in downtown Stockholm while on furlough from prison. Police responded quickly, and a standoff ensued.
Olsson, armed with a submachine gun, took four bank employees hostage and demanded 3 million kronor, a bulletproof vest and a getaway car. He also demanded that his former jail mate, Clark Olofsson, be released from prison and brought to the bank. Authorities agreed.
The drama played out on live television in Sweden as police tried to persuade Olsson and Olofsson to surrender. Even Prime Minister Olof Palme got involved in the negotiations.
At one point, a hostage, Kristin Enmark, told Palme over the telephone that she was afraid of the police, not of the two criminals. She appealed to authorities to meet their demands. Enmark later said she had developed a bond with Olofsson, whom she saw as the guarantor of her safety.
Two police officers were injured with gunshot wounds during the standoff, which ended on Aug. 28 when police, using tear gas, stormed the bank, arrested Olsson and Olofsson and freed the hostages.
WHAT ARE OTHER EXAMPLES OF STOCKHOLM SYNDROME?
One of the most well-known cases happened the following year, 1974, when Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old granddaughter of a wealthy newspaper magnate was kidnapped in the United States by the Symbionese Liberation Army, an unknown armed revolutionary group.
Two months later, questions concerning Hearst’s ties to her captors — and the notion of Stockholm syndrome — arose after Hearst declared her allegiance to the SLA, denounced her family and posed for a photograph carrying a weapon in front of the SLA flag. She was arrested in 1975 and was sentenced to seven years in prison. President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence in 1979. She was later pardoned by President Bill Clinton.
Stockholm syndrome has also been applied in the context of victims of domestic violence or childhood sexual abuse who develop connections with their abusers.
REAL OR MYTH?
Stockholm syndrome isn’t listed as a diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Some experts question whether it’s a psychological condition at all or just a survival strategy — rational choices made by some people as they face extreme danger.
In the U.S. some law enforcement experts have said the phenomenon is rare and overpublicized by the media. But it still features frequently in popular culture, including books, films and music, and has entered the English lexicon as an informal term for people who forge unexpected bonds with others who treat them badly.
Stockholm syndrome inspired movies like the 2013 thriller “ Labor Day ” with Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin and Gattlin Griffith and the 2018 film “ Stockholm ” with Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace. The latter recounted the failed 1973 bank heist. It’s also the title of songs by bands including One Direction, Muse and Blink-182.
___
Olsen reported from Copenhagen, Denmark. AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson contributed from Washington state.
“Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.” ― Albert Schweitzer
“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life — music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer
“If you love something so much let it go. If it comes back it was meant to be; if it doesn’t it never was” ― Albert Schweitzer
“Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.” ― Albert Schweitzer
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” ― Albert Schweitzer
Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (January 14, 1875 – September 4, 1965) was an Alsatian polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. Wikipedia
It’s an all-too common story. You wake up one day, mid 20 or 30-something. Finding the color in your life is drained out. Nothing’s bringing you any real joy.
You try re-invigorating yourself. Yes, you do “yoga.” You meet some new people.
You form some silly attachment to something, just to get excited about the ‘little things’ in life.
But it doesn’t change the fact that at its core, this manifest world seems pointless.
People drudgingly go to their jobs, selling their time and energy for less than it’s worth.
They come home, dealing with it all by lowering the scope of their awareness — getting absorbed into a TV series, “relationship,” or side hustling obsession.
Others, tuned to a different calibration, see this for the trap it is.
They decide to bulldoze the difficult emotions & thought cycles back into the space they rose out of.
Not with painstaking effort.
Simply with spontaneous, luminous, and cognizant consciousness.
They apply what the self-help magazines are too soft to tell you.
MINDFULNESS REQUIRES BRAVERY.
They know if they chose temporary satiation & current comfort over long-term inner engineering, it does more than just sabotage their inner infrastructure.
It plants the seeds for a spiral with no light at the end of its tunnel.
Complacency with your consciousness ensures that you roll in the unsatisfactory nature of this world. You dualistically see yourself apart from it, rather than using it.
Now, what determines whether you fall or rise in awareness?
Inculturation.
This is the lump sum of all the values consciously planted in us by the environment we live in.
In ancient India, these were called sanskaras.
The root san means ‘perfect’ or ‘formation’
(S)kara is something that is done.
And what was their word for culture? Sanskriti.
That which collects and imparts these tendencies into us — for better or for worse.
I used to feel out of place, every day. As if I came into this modern world fresh from a different, more ancient era.
We’ve all felt that way, upon the slightest glimpse of spiritual awakening.
Then, we may have begun looking at everything around us, ‘low vibing,’ as if it weren’t worthy of being in the same room as us.
Yearning for escape comes.
A permanent pilgrimage. But that isn’t growth; it’s the same form of escapism that got us into this delusional world to begin with.
We need to transform ourselves at our root. How do we do that?
Inculturating ourselves, fully and consciously.
If we succeed, ‘belonging’ becomes a joke.
Living with total awareness of our actions vs. reactions, continously each moment from the moment we arise to the moment we fall asleep, magic happens. Your human potential just blossoms.
At that point, we’ve learned to make any place we inhabit into our battlefield. Because our inner space of transformation is finally noticed for the unchanging presence that it is.
If we can succeed at living and embodying what culture is supposed to do to us, ie, help us notice these aspects of human potential, then we literally become culture.
Which means we can help inculturate others for the better.
What does that do? It creates meaning.
Which fosters belonging. Barren soil gives rise to lush landscape, if only the pioneer species succeed at making it.
All it takes is for someone strong enough to begin planting.
“Animal Farm” by George Orwell is an allegorical novel about some animals on a farm.
One day, the animals, led by a pair of pigs (Snowball and Napoleon) lead a rebellion against the human owner of the farm.
The animals successfully drive him out and establish the “Animal Farm”. They agree to adopt the Seven Commandments of Animalism as their constitution. The most important of these is the last commandment: “All animals are equal.“
But things don’t go as smoothly as expected.
Napoleon runs Snowball off the farm and gives himself full leadership. He gradually violates more and more of the commandments as his behavior becomes increasingly like that of their previous human master.
The climax comes a few years later when the animals spot Napoleon carrying a whip (violations of the commandments) and discover that all the commandments have been reduced to simply “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.“
What does this mean?
New Moon In Aquarius – Some People Are More Equal Than Others
The “Animal Farm” metaphor suggests that the ideals of social justice and equality that inspired the animal’s revolution ultimately crumble under the corrupting influence of power.
Napoleon and the pigs have become just like the humans they overthrew.
Similarly, our ideals initially sound lofty and promising, but in reality, they often fail to withstand the corrupting forces of power and self-interest.
Reflecting on the fragility of our ideals and their susceptibility to corruption is more crucial than ever, especially when we have a New Moon in Aquarius and an Aquarius stellium.
Aquarius rules our hopes, dreams, and social causes we resonate with; at a deeper level, Aquarius rules humanity – that place where our individual aspirations intersect with the collective vision for a better world.
New Moon In Aquarius – What Makes Us Human
The New Moon happens on February 9th, 2024, at 20° Aquarius. The New Moon is tightly square its ruler, Aquarius, at 19° Taurus.
This alignment prompts us to contemplate the essence of humanity itself.
What defines our humanity?
There’s a difference between what makes us an individual, and what makes us human.
Being human is not what makes us unique (that’s Leo) – but what makes us similar (Aquarius). Being human is that deep knowing that we’re all in this together; if one of us is hurting, humanity as a whole is hurting.
If there’s a war, is it human to take sides? Is it ok for some people to die because they are the ‘enemy’?
The world is not a Counter Strike field. Every human being is someone’s son or daughter. “There’s no other way”.There’s always a better way, if we are willing to find it.
But this requires us to stop operating from a “good” vs “bad”, “right” vs. “wrong” scenario.
Batman and Joker are fictional characters. It’s the wanna-be heroes that create the Jokers.
Anything can be justified through the good vs. bad paradigm. When we fight for some people, goals or ideals (at the expense of others) – it’s worth re-evaluating our motivations. Are we really driven by our humanity? Or is there another motivation?
New Moon In Aquarius And Pluto In Aquarius
We are all humans – and this comes with great power, and great responsibility.
It’s remembering our humanity that will help us avoid just another “Animal Farm” scenario.
Overthrowing the old – without compassion and respect for our shared humanity – can lead to a looping scenario where new Pluto in Capricorn-like power structures replace the old ones, but there’s no real change.
How do we do better?
I believe that before trying to change the world, we first need to embrace our own duality – the good, and the bad.
When the good and the bad are 2 separate entities, we have Batman and the Joker. When the Ego and the Id are reconciled, we have a human being.
When we make peace with our so-called dark side, we no longer project it onto others. Instead of directing our energy onto supporting “good causes” and fighting “bad people” – we channel it into self-improvement and cultivating a balanced perspective.
From that place, it is then easier to keep our humanity in check, and operate in the world from a more conscious, and less polarized place.
New Moon In Aquarius – Human 2.0
The New Moon in Aquarius will raise some important questions around how we relate to society, ideals, and our concept of humanity.
The New Moon is in a tense aspect (square) with Uranus in Taurus. The New Moon square its own ruler creates an awkward “be careful what you wish for” scenario where our own ideals, goals and hopes for the future seem to turn against us.
We might face some uncomfortable truths. We may be required to do work we don’t like doing, or approach our aspirations from a different angle.
There is help! The other ruler of the New Moon, Saturn makes a supportive sextile aspect with Jupiter.
As always, the Universe gives us the tools to navigate challenges and grow into the next best version of ourselves.
We can become a more conscious human – today, tomorrow, and every single day.
This is the first New Moon in Aquarius with Pluto in the sign. This is a unique opportunity to connect with our inner power and transform the paradigm through which we perceive and engage with the world.
The New Moon in Aquarius on February 9th, 2024 can be the beginning of a completely new chapter of our lives.
MESSIER 74 GALAXY—Recoiling in pain after the gravitational vortex tore off a chunk of flesh and bone down to the first knuckle, God, Our Lord and Heavenly Father, reportedly lost the tip of His right index finger Monday in an accident involving an intermediate-mass black hole. “Ah, son of a bitch—Christ, that hurt like a motherfucker,” said the Divine Creator, who sucked blood from the mangled stump as He chastised Himself for not paying closer attention to what He was doing while building a new spiral galaxy. “I knew I should have shut that thing down eons ago. Oh well, the tip of my finger is in there now, so no use trying to get it back. Dammit, now there’s blood all over the universe.” The Lord then wrapped His finger in an excess piece of robe and went off in search of a neutron star to cauterize the wound.
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